Johns walks away from a CMU women's basketball team huddle during a game. (Sun photo by LISA YANICK-JONAITIS/@lisyj_msun)

Too often we get caught up in stat lines, opting to use numbers to explain away the reasons as to why something has or hasn’t happened.

It makes perfect sense in basketball and baseball and football because numbers empirically support an outcome in one way or another.

Yet over the course of the last two years the Central Michigan University women’s basketball team has championed life lines more than stat lines despite the enormous amount of success it has had.

On Tuesday afternoon the defending Mid-American Conference champion Chippewas didn’t particularly want to talk about their 12-game MAC winning streak although it was the second-longest winning streak in school history.

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The numerous school records that have been set so far in 2013-14 were also of little significance to Sue Guevara and company Tuesday as were the conversations focused around a potential NCAA berth and Wednesday’s conference showdown at Bowling Green.

In short the Chippewas’ focus was elsewhere during Tuesday’s practice at McGuirk Arena and in truth it was spot on.

On Monday afternoon honorary team member Katie Johns was declared cancer free for the first time in 19 months by her doctors in Ann Arbor. This reality was the main talking point amongst players Tuesday as some were wearing smiles while others were welling up with tears of joy.

“I read it last night, her mom (Andrea Johns) had it on Facebook after her MRI,” said Guevara after Tuesday’s practice. “The post was quite lengthy and you didn’t get to the fact that they saw no sign of disease until later in the post. When I saw it I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a miracle.’”

Andrea Johns added, “We found out after our appointment Monday. I knew that she was going to be done with chemo and we were thinking about what we would have to do next? When they told me the MRI showed no signs of the disease my jaw hit the floor and I was standing there trying to think of something to say to the doctor. There were lots of tears and lots of happiness. ”

Katie Johns was diagnosed with Pilacytic astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer, in July of 2012 and has since gone through 19 months of chemotherapy as well as extensive high-risk surgery in hopes of ridding herself of the disease. On Monday she did exactly that much to the delight of her teammates.

“I found out (Monday) night through Facebook and texted everybody on the team while I was crying because I was so happy,” said CMU senior Taylor Johnson, who is real close with the 6-year old Midland resident. “The thing is she wasn’t supposed to beat it, it wasn’t supposed to go away. Now she’s cancer free with no signs of it so it’s good to know that she’s made it through and I don’t have to worry about losing her anymore.”

After the diagnosis in the summer of 2012 former CMU standout Jessica Schroll approached Guevara about the possibility of adopting Katie Johns as an honorary team member for the upcoming 2012-13 season through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

Schroll, who transferred to CMU from Iowa State for her senior year, had seen a sign for a Katie Johns benefit in Midland soon after the diagnosis, which got her thinking about the positive influence her and her teammates had had on a young girl through the same foundation during her time in Ames, Iowa.

The decision was easy for Guevara and Katie Johns was soon thereafter embraced by the Chippewas, joining them on the bench and in the locker room and in meetings and in celebrating their first MAC Championship since 1984 just last March.

“What they have done for her is very, very important because they give her a lot of one-on-one attention,” said Andrea Johns. “Words cannot express how much gratitude we have for Coach G and the team because they have taken us in like family.”

For the Chippewas, well they love having her around, especially on home game days.

“I think she’s very comfortable because she’s a part of our team,” Guevara added. “She knows everybody and is sitting on their laps, she’s in the locker room and she’s got her own uniform.”

Junior Jessica Green, who shares a locker with Johns, added, “She gets new clothes every time she comes in but she’s picky and will only wear it if I’m wearing it too. I will tell her before the game while she’s sitting in my locker and in my chair, ‘OK this is what we’re wearing today and she puts it on.”

During the pre-game introductions Green is usually the first Chippewa starter introduced and when she is Katie Johns is by her side.

“One day she came up to me and said “Jess, I want to run out with you.” But it took a little while because she’s very shy. Katie brings a lot of energy and she’s always ready to run around and play. If you’re a little down just seeing her makes you smile. For us it’s not just about a basketball game, it’s more about helping her fight. Right now she’s cancer free and done with chemo so we couldn’t be happier.”

Over the span of the next month the CMU women will likely make a run at the MAC championship and an NCAA berth, yet in their hearts the Chippewas know that the biggest win of the 2013-14 season came in mid-February on the road in Ann Arbor.

“We’ve talked about this with our players, you know,” Guevara added. “To see a little girl like that go through everything she has gone through with this disease, coming out here to practice or play for an hour isn’t nothing. She’s as much an inspiration to us as we are to her.”

About the Author

Jim Lahde has been with The Morning Sun sports department since 1997 and has been its Sports Editor since 2006. The Wixom native has covered everything from Little League to the big leagues. Reach the author at jlahde@michigannewspapers.com
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